It is a really harrowing thing to get your weekly screen time report and see that on average, you spent more than 10 hours per day on your phone. 

That happened to me a few weeks ago and I was dumbstruck, unsure how I was so oblivious that I spent so many of my waking hours with my eyes glued to my screen. I don’t know how I was doing anything else, having only so many hours in a day and all. 

I decided then that I would do away with most of my social media and I would put limits on my use for the others. 

It has been about three weeks since then and I could not be happier with the results and I think you should try it out for yourself. 

As is usually the case, you are aware that something is a problem long before you decide to address it. For whatever reason, you come up with excuses and reasons to keep going with your bad habits. 

Maybe it is for temporary pleasure or fear of what you may find out about yourself if you think about it for too long, but it is very hard to address an addiction. 

That is what it was and still is: an addiction. 

I was addicted to my screen and I knew that before I made any efforts to fix it. 

Since I have made the effort to delete Twitter and Instagram and put a 1-hour time limit on TikTok, I have noticed some very significant changes in my day-to-day routine. 

I am no longer reaching for my phone as soon as I wake up in the morning. Instead, I try to get outside and get some sun in my eyes. 

I no longer have something to mindlessly distract me while I am working on assignments for school, so my productivity is through the roof.

I have been reading more, finishing 3 books since then and nearly done with a fourth. I have spent more time with my friends and family, spending the hours I normally spend alone in my room out and about doing things to fill the time if nothing else. 

I find that I am sleeping better and waking up easier in the mornings. My mind feels more clear and I feel more present without the invasive thought of reaching for my phone out of fear of ‘missing something.’ 

I have not missed out on any current events or life updates from those in my community. I am more in touch with the people I care about than I have been in a long time, all because I created the time and made the effort to. 

My life has not drastically become perfect overnight. I still find myself fighting the urge to download the apps again or ignore the screen time limit when it comes up, but it is becoming easier and easier every day. 

My life has improved since I took some control back from my screen and focused more on the things that really matter to me. 

If you lower your screen time, even by a small margin, you will feel the same way. 

But of course, that’s just one man’s opinion. 

Categories: Opinion

Tags: Opinion